Fishermen cast their lines in the Detroit River as an iron ore freighter travels through the fog on April 11, 2016, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

(Newser)
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Almost eight years after their daughter's car was found abandoned in Detroit, a Georgia couple held out hope that the missing woman would be found alive. It was hope that should've been dashed within months. The body of Crissita Cage-Toaster was pulled from the Detroit River in March 2010, five months after the 28-year-old vanished, per the AP. But though the woman was black, Detroit police and the coroner determined her body belonged to a white or Hispanic woman. It was labeled "Jane Doe 10-3047," held in a coroner's cooler for a year, then buried with other unidentified remains in an unmarked cemetery grave, a cause of death never established, reports MLive.

Rosita Cage-Toaster, 58, and her husband, Johnny Toaster, 64, say authorities only informed them of "a mix-up" a month ago, a few months after the couple asked a missing-persons group for help in the case, per WXYZ. Police now say months in the river had affected their daughter's complexion, but the couple wonders how a large tattoo of a red rose on their daughter's right shoulder wasn't a clear giveaway. "I kept telling them to focus on that tattoo," says Cage-Toaster, per MLive. "You could give this to an elementary school student and they could figure out the puzzle." The pair—who say personal items found in their daughter's car were apparently thrown out—say their daughter's body will be exhumed and they'll figure out where they want to bury her. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday.

"But though the woman was black, Detroit police and the coroner determined her body belonged to a white or Hispanic woman." Ok, how "Black" was she? Decomposing black, light skinned black, red-boned black, skeleton black? I regards to the tattoo, was it still visible? I don't think it's that simple to identify a dead body. (lookin' at you CSI fans) so many unanswered questions. "Reporters" suck.

CasperImproved

Oct 31, 2017 10:39 AM CDT

They should be demanding the right to stay home and grieve quietly. After months in the water, a body looks like anything but human. And often the coloration is non-existent. And a rose tattoo is as common as the common cold.